Waseem Saddique Marketing Services – Samba Nation on the Brink of Social Media Milestone

Following research conducted by comScore, identifying that social media penetration in Brazil has reached almost 100%, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services provides a review of the Brazilian population’s embrace of social media.

Social media has become a craze in Brazil and interaction across social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social networking sites, is positively booming. At present 97% of Brazil’s Internet users have a presence on a social networking site, putting the samba nation on the threshold of achieving a monumental milestone.

Why Brazil?

This may strike many as surprising, but the internet and social media are relatively new concepts in Brazil and it’s only in very recent years that the nation has truly embraced both the web and social media on such a wide-scale.

The change in attitude towards social networking sites in Brazil has been rapid and dramatic, with the number of Brazilians using social media surging in recent times. Social media platforms have become incredibly popular among Brazilian people for a number of reasons.

Here are the facts:

1. The majority of Brazilians take to social media sites in order to research products and services before committing to a purchase – Waseem Saddique states “In a study conducted by ‘Oh! Panel’ they uncovered that approximately  61.4% of the Brazilian population will turn to social media in order to access information about products or services before deciding to buy.”

The study that Waseem Saddique refers to also unveiled that approximately 81% of Brazilian people use social media to find new products and/or services and a further 75% use it to track down special discounts.

2. The Brazilian population is heavily engaged with Facebook – On average, recent figures show, a Brazilian visitor to Facebook will interact on the site, in a variety of ways, for around 4.8 hours. Compared to 2010 this is a staggering increase, when a visitor would only spend an average of 37 minutes on Facebook.

As recently as 2011, Brazil was recognised as the number 4 country in the world in terms of its Facebook users with 36.1 million taking to the site. Furthermore, Facebook’s marketing share of display advertising in Brazil exceeded that of media giant, Google.

3. The decision making process of the majority of Brazilians will be influenced by posts they have viewed on social media – Waseem Saddique comments: “The ‘Oh! Panel’ survey uncovered that a staggering 79% of Brazilians put more trust in posts on social media sites about products than they do in the endorsement of a product expert.

Brazil is now recognised as one of the fastest growing social media markets on the planet. The use of the internet in Brazil has grown from virtually nothing to a stage where about 88% of Brazil’s urban  population are now online.

A number of marketing experts predict that the trend will continue, as Brazil looks to make sure that internet technology does not merely benefit the rich, but that less affluent members of Brazilian society will also have access to the social media craze.

Waseem Saddique concludes: “Work is ongoing to ensure that all sectors of Brazilian society are given the opportunity to embrace social media and it won’t be long before 100% social media penetration in Brazil becomes a reality.”  

What if Facebook Falls from Grace? Waseem Saddique Ponders the Consequences of Facebook Disappearing

At a time when much of the world has become ‘dependent’ on social media, it’s difficult to imagine the world without social media. But what if the unthinkable happened? What if humanity were to revert back to a time when social media didn't exist?

Waseem Saddique asks: “What would happen, if overnight, social media platforms ceased to exist, would the world be able to function as previous generations have done? It’s a question one has to ask based on the theory that nothing lasts forever.”

Arguably the largest social media platform in the world at present is Facebook with one in nine people on the planet on Facebook (this number is calculated by dividing the planet’s 6.94 billion people by Facebook’s 1 billion ‘registered’ users, of which, around 750 million are deemed active).

Facebook represents users that have personal accounts and business accounts, covering a diverse range of topics, which has become a hub of information about people’s lives and the activities of businesses from around the world.

Just to emphasise the grip that Facebook has on the world’s social interaction, here are some interesting facts:

• People spend 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook
• Each Facebook user spends, on average, 15 hours and 33 minutes a month on the site
• More than 250 million people access Facebook through their mobile devices
• More than 2.5 million websites have integrated with Facebook
• 30 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook each month
• 300,000 users helped translate Facebook into 70 languages
• People on Facebook install 20 million “Apps” every day

Waseem Saddique comments: “Imagine the impact on the world should Facebook disappear. The consequences could be catastrophic. Anyone who has access to the internet will more than likely have an account on Facebook. It has also become a vital tool for businesses in order to market themselves on a global scale.”

Looking at it pragmatically, the fall of Facebook could potentially cause mayhem, with businesses hit hard, losing a host of potential marketing targets and a significant presence on the internet on a global scale.

Also, the prospect of Facebook falling from grace would also affect people personally. The majority of the world has become reliant on social connection through Facebook and any potential demise would result in that connection being lost.

Waseem Saddique states: “Furthermore, consider the security factors should Facebook suffer a fatal crash in its systems. The vast amount of data and personal details that Facebook holds could potentially become exposed to ‘undesirables’ leading to a wide scale fraud problem.” 

In concluding, does society’s dependence on social media sites, such as Facebook, leave humanity and the world’s economy vulnerable? Or, would the world adapt to life without social media sites?

Waseem Saddique states: “Past evidence only shows evolution in such circumstances. When social media started it began with things like MSN chat and Friends Reunited, rather than the world capitulating once they became less popular, the world simply replaced them.”

Waseem added: “But such is the influence of Facebook compared with previous social media that if it ever did disappear, would it be replaced and would the world recover? Only time will tell.”    

The 4G revolution: Birmingham based, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services, welcomes 4G technology.

With much of the world’s data going mobile, businesses across the globe are adapting their online marketing campaigns for mobile technology such as smartphones and tablets. 

Companies that have not adapted their internet marketing strategies for the mobile market are being urged to ‘get on board’. In a bid to cope with more data going mobile, 4G technology has recently been launched to process all data at much quicker speeds.

Waseem Saddique comments: “If businesses do not respond to the rise in mobile technology usage and adapt online marketing campaigns accordingly, a number of companies will fast go out of business.”

There are a number of factors behind the need for 4G technology, most important of which is to manage the massive rise in the use of mobile data. As consumers frequently access social media sites, personal e-mail accounts and mobile applications whilst on the go, 4G technology has been launched to allow consumers to access data on a much quicker scale.

Waseem Saddique states: “4G technology is set to revolutionise the speed at which consumers can access information whilst on the move. Therefore, business competitiveness to get their brand in front of potential clients will intensify. The only way this can be done is to develop innovative online marketing strategies that can be adapted for use with mobile technology.”

Predominantly, social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, are the most frequently accessed applications via mobile gadgets. 4G technology means mobile gadget users can access such applications much more swiftly when compared with 3G technology.

According to the Chetan report, the mobile market is set to generate $1.5 trillion in revenue over the next 12 months, thanks to the introduction of 4G technology. From a business perspective, worldwide figures for mobile gadget owners are set to surge; therefore there has never been a better time for business owners to develop internet marketing strategies adapted for mobile technology.

Despite early ‘teething’ problems, 4G technology will change the face of the mobile market and in order for businesses to reap the benefits, they need to adapt to consumer needs and modify online marketing strategies to embrace the growing domination of mobile devices.

In a bid to assist clients with adjusting online marketing campaigns for mobile devices, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services offers comprehensive advice and guidance.

Mr Saddique concludes: “4G technology represents a new era for businesses and alongside welcoming the new technology, Waseem Saddique Marketing Services aims to assist clients in maximising the potential of what 4G has to offer.”

How to Simplify your Online Marketing – A 3 Step Guide from Waseem Saddique Marketing Services

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services offers expert guidance to clients around the world when it comes to online marketing strategies. This article provides a three step guide on simplifying online marketing campaigns in order to stand out in a competitive market.

     1.    Make the consumer the centre of your attention 

In order to improve your brand it’s a good idea to move away from metrics and strategies that have no real impact on developing your online brand. Too many brands make attempts to justify the money they spend on online marketing by trying to apply some kind of statistical data. Things like click through rate (CTR), view through or Facebook likes, whilst they look good, they are not wholly relevant to building an online brand or reputation.

Waseem Saddique, CEO of Waseem Saddique Marketing Services, comments: “Before the days of online marketing, brands didn’t worry about measuring the impact of full page advertising spreads via the printed media by attributing the success to statistics.” 

It’s all too common nowadays for a business to focus on advertising that delivers results in terms of numbers whilst losing sight of generating advertising that stimulates the interests of consumers. In order for consumers to be attracted to a brand by a unique online marketing campaign, they need choice, control and relevance applied to their experience.

Give the audience what it wants by making online campaigns mysterious and intriguing make the experience relevant to the website page encouraging visitors to click, view and interact. Allow interaction with your website to be instigated by your audience, give them the control in terms of how much they want to engage with your site. As some marketing experts put it ‘instead of real-time bidding (RTB), how about applying real-time relevance’?

2. Remember, ‘content is king’

Whilst flashy images, fancy videos and eye-catching colours may ‘WOW’ the consumer, ultimately it’s the words on your website that sell. Indeed, writing styles have had to adapt in order to meet the demands of an online audience, however, content still has a major impact on the ‘decision-making process.’

However, it’s important to remember that content needs to remain focused on where consumer attention is focused. Don’t dive into a full blown sales pitch about how great your company is or make your copy too pushy. Instead create copy that is suitable for current media platforms such as mobile phones, tablets and other forms of mobile media because current consumer attention is focused on information that they consume whilst on the move.

Waseem Saddique states: “Bring your content to life through advertising technology that gets your words and images alongside an established brand, as this will enhance the content experience and will make a lasting impression upon consumers.”

3. Above all, simplify the strategy

Rather than developing an online marketing strategy for the mobile phone, a separate strategy for tablets and another for the standard desktop, focus on one specific platform, then revise that strategy to correspond with other strategies. This will create brand consistency and help to eliminate overreaching by trying to do everything at once.

Brands are now able to respond directly to how consumers interact with a whole host of devices. In an age where consumers swipe, expand and share adverts or interesting brand content, it’s no longer viable to revert back to traditional approaches to online marketing.

Brands need to flaunt their assets through fresh, fun and invigorating new concepts that capture the imagination and leave lasting impressions that are unique to devices, contexts and formats.  

Waseem Saddique Marketing Services Provides An Insight Into Brazil’s Ecommerce Boom

Birmingham based marketing expert, Waseem Saddique, provides essential facts and figures that could help businesses to take advantage of Brazil’s current e-commerce boom.

As a nation, Brazil has experienced exponential growth in recent years, recently overtaking Britain as the world’s sixth largest economy. As the country continues its surge up the economic rankings, Latin America’s largest nation is now experiencing an e-commerce sales boom.

What’s encouraging for national and international businesses is that future e-commerce sales growth is likely to be highly driven by the power of social media and the mobile internet. Although Brazil has put itself on the map as an economic powerhouse, e-commerce had previously lagged behind other nations and the fact there is still room for the e-commerce market to grow.

Recent studies show that Brazil’s population is currently estimated to stand at around 195 million people; however, only 29 million people tend to make online retail purchases, leaving a potentially huge audience for businesses to market themselves towards.

In monetary terms, figures from 2011 show that e-commerce revenue streams reached R$19 billion dollars (or 3.9% of retail sales). In 2009 these figures stood at R$11 billion (or 2.7%), highlighting the substantial growth that e-commerce sales have witnessed.

Yet, despite such significant growth, the fact remains that the number of Brazilian internet users who consume goods online is still fewer than 40%. This is in stark contrast to nations such as Spain, where 66% of internet users purchase goods online and in Britain a whopping 81% of shoppers choose to buy goods using the web. The reality is that the online marketing opportunities in Brazil are massive.  

Predictions are already being made that mobile broadband penetration could reach 85% by the year 2015, offering a mass audience for online marketing, the likes of which Brazil has never seen. This will be a major platform for businesses to launch large-scale online marketing campaigns, through social media and mobile applications.

Many Brazilians are now quickly adapting to the growing trend of online social communication. Recent figures show that 87% of the Brazilian web audience are now signed up to platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Therefore, the online marketing scope for businesses across the world looking to target the Brazilian e-commerce market is huge.

Waseem Saddique comments: “Arguably, more than anywhere else in the world, retailing is becoming much more social.”

Retail sources in Brazil have highlighted that around 30% of Brazil’s ‘online community’ actually ‘follow’ retailers via their e-commerce sites, Facebook pages or Twitter accounts. However, in countries such as Britain, just 12% engage in such activity.

On the whole, e-commerce retail analysts in Brazil have estimated that revenues have risen by a staggering 127% during the first quarter of 2012.

Revolutionising The Internet: Social Media Marketing

The Internet has (and, if it hasn’t, it will) transform the way natural products industry companies communicate with their customers. That transformation is accelerating at an astonishing pace

as a result of social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and about 50 other sites that can help distribute marketing messages.

More than ever, customers are sharing their experiences and opinions, good and bad, with global audiences on blogs, social networks and review sites, literally at the touch of a button. Those opinions have the potential for shaping, controlling and redefining marketing messages, as well as the reputation of companies. Most companies, especially in the supplement industry, are still unaware of the existence or benefits of social media marketing. However, those that are aware have not adapted to the speed at which social media marketing is revolutionizing the way companies communicate with customers and potential customers and the way consumers are voicing their opinions about companies and their products.

Social media experts believe the day of the one-way message controlled by brand owners may—at least for now—be dying. I would agree. The question to ask now is no longer how are your customers playing back the message you told them. It's what message are they are spreading to others? This is in part due to the development of social media.

The ever-increasing number of social networking sites, blogs and customer review sites makes it a greater challenge for brand owners to manage marketing messages, reputations and intellectual property assets online. That challenge will undoubtedly intensify as the number of participants on user-generated content sites explodes to an estimated 1 billion by 2012. It is also estimated that there will be 40 billion “tweets" on Twitter in 2010. Clearly, the pace at which people are using social media networks to connect with “friends" and seek out online relationships with business is exploding. This is why the smart companies see social media as an opportunity to connect with individuals or groups in this manner. Online media has opened an entirely new path to reaching target audiences.